Gifts for: Getting Well

When someone is sick or injured, it's natural to want to help. Here are some ideas:

FOOD

Someone who's recovering is going to be exhausted, physically and mentally. Having food on hand helps people remember to eat. A variety of foods that can be frozen and eaten readily help both the person recovering and anyone helping.

Soups, quiches, casseroles, cookies, and snacks like sausage rolls all freeze well--these kept my parents fed for several days following a medical procedure, so the one who had it could rest and the one who didn't could take care of other things around the house, and both had more time to relax.

As with any gift of food, be aware of allergies, intolerances, cultural and religious taboos, and other dietary restrictions. Try to deliver the food in packaging that doesn't need to be returned to you, like bags, foil, or cheap containers. Have the food cooked if possible (in the picture above, the minestrone soup is cooked but the noodles are still raw, so they don't fall apart before the soup is eaten) and ready for the freezer, with instructions on reheating. Include an ingredient list as well, as some foods interact with medications you might not know the recipient is taking. Consider including utensils and napkins as well. Maybe some flowers, too!

Of course, you don't have to do it all yourself. You might want to organize a meal train, where several people coordinate days to drop off food. Often a person's co-workers, friends, or fellow members of a religious community are happy to help.

And the food needn't be homemade. It might not be practical to try to send homemade food over long distances. When a relative had a baby in the NICU several states away, I wasn't able to mail a lasagna. What I could do was call a few local food delivery places and pay for gift cards to be sent to my family, so they could focus on the new baby (who is now doing great) instead of trying to figure out what to have for dinner. Another time, I signed up for a day on a meal train for a church member with a new baby, and ordered pizza for my night. The pizza parlor had no issue delivering to an address different than that of the person paying for it, and I included a delivery tip in my payment (and told the family I had).

HOUSEHOLD HELP

Everyone has at least one housekeeping task they dread, whether it's dusting or laundry or dishes or something else. If you're close enough to visit during someone's convalescence, offer to help with a task. Be specific: "Let me sweep so you can rest" instead of "Can I do anything?" It's easier to agree to a specific task than think of one. Especially for a long recovery, you can ask if anything's due soon, like a car's oil change.

If you're not close, you can also offer to hire a maid service or to pay for a neighbor to mow the lawn. Some hairdressers and beauticians even offer in-home appointments!

You can even help by proxy. At the moment, I can't visit my grandparents to help with anything directly because of COVID19 concerns, and because of their age, they're supposed to stay home as much as possible. But my next-door neighbor is about their age, and her family can't visit for the same reason. Instead of bringing my grandparents food, I've taken a few meals and some flowers to my neighbor and started taking her waste cans to and from the curb on trash pick up days, and my grandparents' neighbors have checked on them. My grandparents like to hear that I'm looking out for the people around me, and I appreciate those who have helped my grandparents.

SHOW YOU CARE: BE THERE

While neither my neighbor nor my grandparents are sick (thank God), they have felt cut off with the lockdown orders. I can't visit in person, but I can make more of an effort to call and send pictures and letters through email and regular mail. When people are at home for a long time, it's very helpful for them to know the world hasn't left them behind.

In normal circumstances, you can visit a person in the hospital, recovery center, or at home to relieve boredom and provide face-to-face interaction. Even if there's no housework to do or meals needed, a visit can lift spirits.

COMBAT BOREDOM

Depending on the illness or injury, recovery can be long and boring. One of my friends was on bedrest when she was pregnant...for weeks. She felt fine, but had to be in the hospital to keep her twins safe. The hospital staff was excellent to her, but she was far from the only patient, so she craved visits. Another friend had a long recovery at home following knee surgery, so I sent her some puzzles and crossword books. When an out-of-state cousin had a stroke and was ordered home to rest, I mailed her several books in her favorite genre, coloring books for her two children, and snacks for everyone.

RELIEVE THE BURDEN...DON'T BE ONE

Recovery can be hard. The body needs resources to heal, and physical, occupational, and other therapies are exhausting. Some people really like their alone time! When visiting, keep in mind that a person might tire more easily, and be ready to cut your visit short. If you visit someone in a hospital or nursing home, check with a staff member first to be sure the person is ready to receive visitors. If visiting someone at home, be prepared to be told that it's not a good day for a visit. You can be frustrated at the situation, just don't take it out on anyone. Also, trust the person's doctors. This is not the time for quack remedies or empty platitudes--it's one thing to send a thoughtful card with the promise to pray for someone, it's another to blame a person's malady on lack of faith. Be careful not to give gifts that require a lot of energy to use, and don't expect to be waited on. You want to be the one helping!

Gifts for Families

With having nieces and nephews, I find it fun to give a gift the family can enjoy. My own family receives gifts for everyone as well, which we also appreciated.

MOVIE NIGHT

You have several options here. For going out, you can give gift cards to movie theaters (or to a play, if the family's children can sit through one) that will cover tickets and snacks or to a drive-in plus some popcorn. You can give a subscription to an online streaming service or a gift card to a rental company like Redbox with movie snacks. If you know what sort of movies the family likes and doesn't yet have, give the treats with the movie itself. Depending on your budget, you could even give some blankets or pillows to sit under or on while watching a movie at home.

For a fun presentation, you can pick up a popcorn tub at a dollar store to wrap the gift in.

EXPERIENCES AND MEMBERSHIPS

If the family lives near a zoo, science center, aquarium, museum, or other such place, you can give a family membership. They're usually good for one year. If that's too much, you can often also find day passes. A place like the YMCA is also great for a membership; it has classes for everyone whether taken individually or together and childcare for when the parents need a break during their own workouts.

There might be a class the family would enjoy taking together, maybe an art or cooking class. A family who enjoys going to the library or farmer's market together could use a tote bag that you buy, sew, knit, crochet, or embroider. Think or ask about what the family likes to do together to get started brainstorming.

There are also play areas specifically geared toward kids. If you know the family likes being able to take their kids places like this, a pass card or membership will be very appreciated. Many indoor play areas require socks--if you knit, handmade socks can be a nice conveyance gift to go along with it.

For families who like outdoor activities, you can give items for a picnic (maybe include a handmade picnic blanket and napkins or homemade trail mix) or a hike. There are lots of little accessories for many outdoor activities that get used quickly--sunscreen, bug spray, camp stove fuel, bicycle inner tubes, flashlight batteries. You'll need to be sure you get the right sizes and specifications. For example, inner tubes must be not only the right diameter and width, but the right valve shape too. If you're unsure of the specifics and don't want to ask, a gift card to a store that sells the right items, like REI, works well. 

Indoor activities can be good ideas, too. Pair a jar of dry ingredients for cookies with some fun cookie cutter shapes, for example. Get plain ceramic cups or plates and food- and oven-safe paint so everyone can decorate them. Give a set of stepping stone kits for everyone to make one. A board game for family game night is fun, too.

Even a gift card to the family's favorite restaurant works well. My kids are always thrilled to know they can get dinner at Spaghetti Factory, and we parents are happy that it's paid for and that the portions are generous enough that it will be dinner the next night, too.

MEMORIES

A family photo album or collage is a nice way to preserve memories. Depending on what you have access to and what the family likes, you can put one together yourself or provide the supplies to do so. For example, a friend of mine likes going camping with her family and to put up pictures of the family, so I've given her a few collage frames that she's since filled with camping pictures.

You can do a lot with family pictures: portraits, mugs, calendars, stationery (one of my aunts prints custom postage stamps from her pictures), home decor, even puzzles. There are many services online and in brick and mortar stores that will help you print gifts.

Another idea is collecting stories or recipes or other such memories from the extended family. I gave my older brother's family an album filled with family recipes, from my side and from my sister-in-law's side (her mom helped). I also sewed matching placemats for the family and got some fun kitchen accessories that I knew my niece and nephews would have fun playing with.

If the family is facing a situation where someone is terminally ill, offer to do some housework or set up a meal train of dinners so they have more time to make memories. When a family member has passed away, do something with the memories you have: write a letter, make a relevant donation, paint or print a picture. If appropriate, offer to use items from the deceased in a way that shares memories, like a quilt or stuffed toy made from the person's clothes or decorative pieces and ornaments made from jewelry.

A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

If you think a single item won't work for the whole family, you can still make several smaller gifts fit the same thing. You can get each person a specific Christmas ornament or book tailored to individual tastes, or make pillowcases or other items in each person's favorite color or motif. Just don't let your desire for it to be a family gift end up leaving a person out--it wouldn't be fun to feel like the black sheep when the gift gets opened. A well-thought-out family gift, however, will give the family something to enjoy together.

Goody Bags, Party Favors, and Other Gifts for Multiple People

Some events call for multiples of gifts, whether as a thank you for coming or as part of the event itself. In general, consumables are a good idea, although if it's food you do need to be considerate of allergies and other dietary restrictions. If you're aiming for more of a keepsake, small is best. You'll need to take into consideration your budget, your audience, and your time.

CONSUMABLES

I have literally dozens of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and I see many of them during the holidays. Buying them all individual gifts would bankrupt me, and making the same by hand would take all year (not to mention the cost of supplies). Instead, I bake three or four varieties of cookies, double or triple batches of each. Each family gets a bag of cookies from me without my needing to take out a loan or spend more than part of a few days baking. Some of them give bags of their own homemade cookies, breads, candies, or jams. Other people I know make vanilla extract (this takes a few months; plan ahead), brownies, fudge, snack mixes, home-brewed beer or other alcohol, small cakes, applesauce, nut butters, spaghetti sauce, spice mixes, home-roasted coffee beans, and even honey from their beehives. You can also put together dry ingredients for baked goods. And of course, there are myriad store bought food treats, often ones made locally.

You do have to be mindful of dietary restrictions. For example, one of my cousins is allergic to peanuts, so I don't add peanuts to any cookies and I don't make peanut butter cookies (for her, other nuts are fine so I can still use almond extract or other nuts). If you don't know the recipients well, in the case of an office party for example, food might not be best. You also need to be sure whatever you give will be okay without refrigeration for at least a few hours. One way around potential food restrictions for a crowd is something like a candy bar. When my brother got married, the wedding favors were organza bags we could fill with our choice of a variety of his and my sister-in-law's favorite candies. At a different wedding, the candy bar was every kind of blue candy the bride and groom could find, as the wedding colors were navy and sky blue. Both times the treats were great for the plane ride home.

Some events give away plants and seeds. While not quite consumable, these are fun for those who have the space to grow them. They're also easy to tailor to the occasion: pots painted in seasonal colors, some of the same flowers as in the wedding bouquets, plants that represent the occasion, that sort of thing.

Other consumables include candles, soap, lotion, sugar scrubs, lip balm, and stationery. As with food gifts, any of these can be store bought or handmade, and you need to be aware of allergies. They don't need to be fancy either, especially if your recipients are more practical. Some years my grandparents have given us simple toiletries like shampoo and shaving cream (with some cash, being grandparents) and it always gets used.

GIFT CARDS

If you have the budget, gift cards in $5-10 denominations are good. The standard is coffee shops, but you don't need to limit yourselves to that. Bakeries, specialty grocery stores, online music services, ice cream stores--as long as your recipients can actually get something for $5 or $10, it can work. One Christmas, a cousin of mine passed out Redbox gift cards with packets of microwave popcorn. 

If you know your recipients would appreciate donations given in their names, you can also pass out notes acknowledging such. One wedding I attended recently had notecards at each table setting stating that in lieu of wedding favors the bride and groom, who had both lost their mothers to cancer, had made a donation to the American Cancer Society. Especially with as extravagant as the wedding and reception was, I thought the donation was far more touching than wedding favor to take home.

KEEPSAKES AND TOKENS

There are a variety of choices for small gifts, some better than others. The issue with gifts meant to be kept is that it's impossible to cater to everyone's tastes. With consumables, people who get something they don't like don't feel as obligated to keep it.

Christmas ornaments are an obvious choice for Christmas parties, and most people aren't too selective about what goes on their trees. Other decorative or household items can be more versatile, like prisms or sun catchers, paper weights, drink coasters, fridge magnets, pins, kitchen accessories, and knick-knacks. Some of these can be handmade, like knit washcloths, sewn hot pads, etched glass coasters, and so on.

If the event is for a specific activity, it's easier to pick out an appropriate favor. For example, a sewing club party could pass out sewing notions; a garden club might give away plant starts. 

For kids' birthday parties, the usual fare seems to be a bag of small plastic toys. I'm not a fan of those myself, as my kids have too many of those already. Goody bags we've found easier to enjoy include more useful items like pencils or other school supplies, a single larger toy, treats like a few cookies or some candy from a piñata, or things that get used up like bubbles and stickers. But don't feel limited to those; feel free to be creative. My brother's birthday is Halloween, so every year his party guests would trick-or-treat. Our parents figured the kids didn't need more candy, especially since they also got birthday cake...so the party favors were toothbrushes and floss! 

Gifts for: Teachers and Other School Employees

Whether you're a student or the parent of one, you will probably find it appropriate to give teachers and school employees gifts once in a while. Right off the bat, the first thing you should do is check your school's policy: some may not allow gifts above a certain monetary amount, or ban homemade food, or not allow gifts at all. 

With that in mind...

HOMEMADE

A caution here: the teacher or other school employee likely has many students. If every student gives the bus driver a knitted scarf, it's going to be difficult for the driver to use the few dozen scarves. Before you craft something, consider whether your recipient will be able to appreciate your effort. Smaller, consumable gifts are safest. If policy allows, food, especially food that can be frozen and enjoyed when the recipient feels it's best, is a great choice. Cookies, bread, homegrown vegetables or flowers; just consider allergies.

That said, I have made non-consumable gifts that were well-received. My oldest child's kindergarten teacher had a classroom mascot, a bee called Super Bee. When it was our turn to have it for an evening, I took some measurements and sewed a superhero cape, which we gave the teacher for Christmas. Later in the year, the teacher had to have surgery and take some time off, and another parent crocheted her a blanket to help keep her comfortable during the recovery (we gave her a gift card to a pizza place that time). I'm not trying to say that you're not allowed to make a present, just that you should be aware that other students are likely to give presents as well. You don't want to overwhelm your recipient.

Common homemade gifts include Christmas ornaments (do check that your recipient celebrates Christmas), accessories like hats and gloves, picture frames, household goods like pillows, hot pads, and throws, and, more often in the case of young students, drawings and notes. Smaller objects that might wear out faster, like dishcloths, are a better bet than big ones unless you know the recipient well. On the other hand, if you're giving a gift to someone who interacts with fewer students like a paraeducator or someone less likely to receive gifts like the school librarian, you don't need to be as concerned.

I mentioned notes in the previous paragraph. I have family members who are teachers, and one thing they cherish is notes from students about the positive impacts they've made. And having been a coach and gotten a few of those myself, they are priceless. I still have them almost a decade later, with the framed pictures of the teams--the athletes signed the frames, too.

STOREBOUGHT

Again, be sure you don't overwhelm your recipient. One can only use so many "BEST TEACHER" coffee mugs. A first year teacher, maybe. A twenty-year veteran? Probably less likely.

Teachers I know love gifts they can use in their classrooms. When we moved to a different state in the middle of a school year, I made sure to grab pens and pads of stationery from the souvenir section of a drug store. We gave them to the teacher in the new state just before the holiday break. She used them for sending notes home to parents. We gave one speech therapist stickers, which were used to mark students' progress, and another a ten dollar gift card to Michaels, because she used craft supplies so often.

Speaking of gift cards--they are wonderful for school employees. It's unlikely you know the bus driver well enough to pick up on his favorite colors or the principal well enough to find out her shoe size for knitted socks. But everyone needs to eat, and most employees who do classroom work with students can use funds for stores that sell art and school supplies.

Include a note, even a short one. Most people working in education are doing so because they want to help students, and knowing they've made a positive impact is a great gift. 

Gifts for: Grandparents

By the time people reach grandparent age, they usually have all the "stuff" they want (and sometimes more!). For this reason, I like to stick to either consumables or small gifts with nostalgic or sentimental significance. 

CONSUMABLE IDEAS

Restaurant gift cards are easy, and easy doesn't mean bad. Both my grandfathers were raised during the Great Depression--a free meal is always nice. You can also consider gift cards for massages, manicures, housekeeping, golf courses, sports events, music or television streaming services, and other events and services.

For other ideas, think of your grandparents' favorite foods. My paternal grandfather, upon learning I like to cook, gave me the recipe for his mother's bread. I was a teenager, and guess what recipe I knew I'd be pulling out every Father's Day, Grandpa's birthday, and Christmas? My maternal grandfather loves unusual and spicy foods, so any display of unconventional food gets a once-over from me. He also has a favorite recipe, "Sacred Cake" without which his birthday is incomplete. Do you grandparents like coffee, and is there a roaster nearby? Tea, snacks, sweets? You could put together jars of dry ingredients for baked goods, if you know your grandparents enjoy baking. Be mindful of dietary restrictions like diabetes, but if there's a treat you know you can find or make, you're set.

For non-edibles, consider stationery, candles, soap, tickets to events or places (and they don't necessarily need to be "for old people;" so long as you know your grandparents would like it, why not tickets to an amusement park or zoo?), art supplies, bulbs and seeds for flowers and other plants, cosmetics, and maybe even help setting up Skype or Facetime or something similar to talk to family members who are far away.

GIFTS REPRESENTING YOUR HOME

A simple idea, great for a group of siblings and/or cousins, is a collection of little gifts representing where you live, especially if there are several locations involved. For example, one year, my two siblings and I each lived in a different state from our grandparents. We gave them three potholders, one representing each state (Arizona, Hawaii, and Texas), and a small consumable gift from each one: Arizona's Fairytale Brownies (a fantastic gift on their own; they're delicious), Hawaiian-made honey, and a Texas snack mix.

If you're looking for very specific fabrics, eBay is a good place to start--you can usually find fat quarters or by-the-yard cuts of an amazing assortment of oddly specific fabrics. In this instance, the Hawaiian fabric was found in a store in Honolulu (Fabric Mart, which has an online shop), and the Texas and Arizona prints were from eBay. Another great website is Spoonflower.

This way, the grandparents had something small and useful as well as fun treats, all of which reminded them of their grandchildren. Most cities and even small towns have some shop with locally-made consumables and/or small items: candles, chocolates, spice mixes, soaps; maybe even a book by a local author or about a place's history or folklore.

GIFTS FROM EVERYONE

If you have lots of cousins and you're close with them, you might be able to get all the grandkids working together for a present. I've done this a few times for grandparents' Christmas presents, and every time not only were the cousins willing to help, they were happy that they didn't need to come up with a gift idea. One year, I had several people help me with knitting afghans. I taught a few how to knit and they did anywhere from a few stitches to a few rows, and others just helped pick colors. 

Our grandmother ended up using this to keep warm during chemotherapy treatments years later;
fortunately she's recovered now.

Another year, I had my cousins send me pictures of their families (aunts and uncles too). Everyone chipped in a bit of money for printing the pictures and for a 100-page 4x6 photo album. At the time, there were a few of us grandchildren were pregnant, so some of the empty pages had sticky notes "saving" them for pictures of the great-grandchildren. We still send pictures now and then to keep the album updated.

Young children can get in on the fun as well. Just recently, I helped my children and my nieces and nephew make stepping stones for my mother-in-law's birthday. I purchased some kits from a craft store that came with cement mix, molds, and stones and glass to set in the cement (and added some of the random buttons and broken jewelry I'd accumulated over the years). Each child decorated a stepping stone and we used the included letter stamps to put their names on their stones. Since my mother-in-law loves gardening, having things in her garden that her grandchildren made was perfect.

Of course, a group gift doesn't need to be elaborate. There have been some Christmases that several of us chip in for a restaurant gift card so our grandparents can enjoy a nice dinner. Every time, regardless of how much work went into a gift, it's fun to write all our names on the "from" section of the gift tag.

GIFTS ABOUT EVERYONE

In my opinion, these are the most fun. I have a large extended family, so if I can think of an idea to showcase all of us, I'm all over it. One I recently saw was in a neighbor's house. She has four children, several grandchildren, and a few great-children. She had a shadowbox with "Counting my Blessings" written across the top, and three labels inside: children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Each label had hooks underneath, to hold numbers representing how many of each she had. I might need to do that for my grandparents.

One gift I have made my grandparents is a birthday calendar. If you have the time and inclination, you can make your own. You'll need fourteen screw eyes, several wooden disks (or hearts or whatever shape you want) ideally with two holes already drilled in, small metal rings, hanging wire, a long wooden board, a fine-tipped permanent marker, and paint (I like acrylic best for this). You can also purchase custom ones on sites like Etsy.

Told you it's a big family

While I actually made it, I presented it as from all of us, because I had help from everyone in deciding colors and figuring out birthdays--it was very much a group effort. I was also able to go to a thrift store and buy 50 greeting cards at a dime each: enough for a card for everyone (there are 51 markers up there, but that's including our grandparents themselves and they don't give cards to each other).

Again, these don't need to be big, elaborate endeavors. I find gifts like this fun to plan and make, but I know not everyone does. There was one year we all chipped in for a collage picture frame and put pictures of us in. Our grandparents loved that, too. My in-laws loved the digital picture frame loaded with pictures of the grandkids. And really, the most important thing for them was the time spent with us during the holidays or their birthdays. They absolutely loved the sentiment and thought behind the gifts, but talking with us was the real highlight for them.

Gifts for: a Wedding

Of course, your best bet for a wedding gift is something from the registry. I know some people feel registries are impersonal, tacky, or even selfish, but they're very useful. A wedding invitation isn't a demand for a gift, or even an appearance (rare boorish cases aside). People getting married want to celebrate, and people excited for them tend to want to give gifts. Registries are great for ensuring you buy what the couple can use and enjoy, and to avoid duplicate gifts. But some couples don't use registries, and sometimes you might want to add a personal touch

STOREBOUGHT

If nothing on the registry stands out to you, a gift card to the store is a good idea. Most places that offer registries also have a completion discount, providing the newly-weds a discount on any unpurchased items after the wedding. Cash is good for this too. One of my uncles, having already given us use of his and my aunt's beach-front house for a honeymoon weekend, handed me a stack of bills at the reception, for "gas money"--almost three times what the fuel actually cost. We were very grateful.

In general, gift cards can be useful. Not just to housewares stores either; grocery stores, home improvement stores, restaurants, or for places or events you know the couple likes. 

If you know what the couple likes to do, or where they're going on their honeymoon, you can buy something to facilitate that. Foreign currency for a trip abroad, money for exotic vaccines before overseas travel, a collage picture frame or photo album, tickets to an event, passes for an attraction like a museum, zoo, or sports event--something to help them enjoy their time together.

For couples who are setting up their first home together, housewares are certainly appreciated. If there's no registry to guide you, buying things intended to match, like plates, is tricky. But individual serving platters or bowls or seasonal hand towels or other "one at a time" items could work. For one of my cousins, I found a set of drinking glasses with the logo of her and her husband's favorite sports team: they would like it, and it wouldn't matter if they didn't match their place settings because they were more of a novelty items. Include a gift receipt just in case.

You can also make up a gift basket to stock up a pantry (flour, sugar, etc), bathroom (soap, lotion, shampoo), first aid kit, cleaning supplies; or something more fun like a date night.

HANDMADE

In general, I prefer to make small things as accents to registry items. When I was invited to a wedding last summer, I bought some towels from the registry, green and brown, and knit washcloths to compliment them.

Similarly, my mom often knits seven dishcloths, one for each day of the week, and puts them inside a baking dish bought from the registry. Or adds potholders, embroidered towels, and other kitchen goodies.

There are a lot of things you can add to wedding gifts. Think of what you can make that can be used in a home: picture frames, kitchen utensils, throw pillows, decor, etc. Maybe even a handmade card.

The groom loves dinosaurs. I drew the scales by writing their initials over and over.

And decorated these toys to be a bride and groom.

When someone close to me is getting married, I do a bit more, usually to the tune of a knit blanket in the wedding colors. We got one from a family member embroidered with our wedding date, and still have it over a decade later, so I like to give blankets too. One friend in particular had been through rough patch and things finally started looking up for her. I felt like spoiling her a bit, so I made a blanket in the wedding colors, plus dishcloths, pillowcases embroidered with the wedding date, and bought two registry items in the wedding colors.

They use the decorative box to hold sentimental things.

The point of a wedding gift is to show the couple that you're excited for them and want them to have a happy life together. Keep that in mind, and you'll find the inspiration you need.

If You Can Knit or Crochet, You Can Make...

Knowledge of needle arts is useful for gift-giving. There are a variety of things, large or small, easy or difficult, that make great gifts. Of course, keep your recipient in mind: not everyone appreciates handmade items, and even if they do, they might not like the specific item you've chosen--no matter how beautiful, an intricate Christmas ornament isn't appropriate for someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas. So long as you know your recipient doesn't have a strong preference for store-bought items and you have the right category of gift in mind, and that you have enough time to complete the project, you're set. Patterns are all over the place online and at bookstores, yarn stores, and libraries. For example...

BLANKETS

There are patterns for all sizes of blankets, and lots of fun designs as well. Baby blankets, toddler-sized lap robes, afghans all the way to king size, teeny sizes for pets or dolls--it just depends how much yarn and time you want to use! 

How do you pick a pattern? The search engine on Ravelry (a wonderful website) is a fantastic resource--you can input yarn weight, needle sizes, yarn amount, and select whether you want your results to show free or paid patterns and patterns for knitting or crochet. Think of the size you want, and how complicated you want the pattern to be, and go from there. Some patterns make pictures--this one makes a Diplodocus:

Picture by Ravelry user amgoth2000, Diplodocus Blanket, pattern here

This one makes a roadway for toy cars:

Picture by Ravelry user HappyBerry, pattern Road Play Mat, found here

Once you have your pattern selected and you have appropriate yarn (that is, the correct weight, yardage, and appropriate fiber content--machine-washable is best for babies), it's time to figure out colors. Maybe a favorite sports team--and there are also patterns for many of the logos--wedding colors, colors from a pop culture item (maybe a big blanket striped in the colors of the famous scarf from Doctor Who), the recipient's favorite colors... Keep in mind that complicated patterns, such as ones with lots of cables, work best with few or one color. Too many colors can make the pattern hard to see. My personal preference is to knit (because I'm terrible at crochet) fairly simple patterns with two strands of yarn at once. I use patterns meant for bulky weight yarn, and hold two colors of worsted weight as if they were one, which gives me a nice blend of colors.

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Susan's Zig Zag or Chevron Blanket, pattern here

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Susan's Random Remnants Blanket, pattern here

CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES

Hats, cowls, scarves, mittens, socks, shawls, even jewelry--there are patterns for everything. One thing I love to do is put my recipient's name into the Ravelry search engine, and find an accessory with the name. Joel's Scarf, Paul's Hat, Jane Necklace, and so on. And you can just as easily find patterns for clothing like this: Oriental Lily Dress, Scott Sweater, Katie Blouse, and so many more. There are also patterns geared toward times of the year that can be fitting, like the May Baby Sweater for a baby born in May.

Picture by Ravelry user Speattle, pattern May Baby Sweater, found here

Of course, you can pick any pattern you want, but I find it especially fun if there's a subtle or not-so-subtle nod to the recipient.

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

Especially nice for a housewarming or hostess gift, these range from potholders to dishcloths to pillows to coasters to drapes to rugs to bookmarks to tea cozies to felted bowl to placemats and more. Most of them are small and work up quickly. The small ones are especially nice complements to other gifts.

Picture by Ravelry user Siffknit, pattern Bottle Cozy, found here

SEASONAL DECORATIONS

There are patterns for every holiday and season. You can make a dreidel bowl to hold latkes or other food:

Picture by Lindsey Stephens, pattern Dreidel Bowl, found here

Or Christmas ornaments:

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Candy Cane Christmas Ornament, found here

Or seasonal dishcloths:

Picure by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Dishcloth Calendar, found here

Or any number of decorative objects or items with seasonal themes.

TOYS

A bit of stuffing and you can make so many different toys. Crochet lends itself to shaping toys better than knitting, but are plenty of options available for both.

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Tiny Stuffed Bear, found here

AND MORE

There are patterns for things you'd never think of. Just try typing your recipient's interests or hobbies into Ravelry's search engine. Designers are astonishingly creative. The one that surprised me the most was a guitar slide cozy, which I made for a guitarist in the colors of his favorite sports team (complete with a clear guitar slide):

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Guitar Slide Cushion, pattern here

Picture by Ravelry user SiffKnit, pattern Academy Award/Oscar Statuette, pattern here

Edit added October 2020: People have reported accessibility problems with the new Ravelry design, including migraines and seizures. Many of these patterns can be found on other sources like Etsy or personal designer websites.

Do you have other ideas you'd like me to cover? Let me know in the comments.